The general problems of damage caused by suddenly applied impact loads are well recognized. Such damages include breakage and destruction of property as well as injury to persons.
Because the occurrence of such impact loads is beyond the control of those who have a need to ship products in commerce by rail, truck, or air and other common carrier transportation, a most common approach to the problem is to provide packaging material and cushioning material in a position around the object in a shipping container to absorb the impacts before they have a damaging effect on the contents being shipped.
In a like manner, persons who are likely to be subjected to impacts either by falling or contact in sports such as football and other "contact" sports often employ cushioning materials in the form of padding to absorb the impacts.
Elderly persons are particularly susceptible to injury, primarily broken bones, through falls and sudden impacts. A major problem for the elderly, who are forming an increasing portion of the population, is susceptibility to broken bones from falls and sudden impacts. Persons of an advanced age find it very difficult to recover from such injuries, and broken hips and joints often lead to complications shortening life.
In still other instances some items or products regularly receive and resist impacts in their normal operation. For instance, the soles of shoes and the treads of tires or objects which repetitively receive impacts in normal operation. In recent years, so called "athletic" or "walking" shoes have been provided with soles and insoles that are thought to be helpful in cushioning the impacts of walking, jogging, and other strenuous endeavor. The cushioning structure of this invention is especially useful for this application.
In still other instances, design and construction efforts have been directed to cushioning the impacts of automobile collision with cushioning materials that are particularly light in weight but offer good cushioning performance if such impact collisions occur. Special materials in the framework of vehicles are provided for this purpose. The cushioning structure of this invention is especially useful for this application.
Because packing materials add to the weight and volume of the freight and objects being shipped, lightweight and compactness are objective features addressed by the prior art as well as many of the products presently in use. However, such objectives should be ideally sought without a reduction in the performance of the material. It is an object of the present invention to achieve a maximum capability for the absorption of impact and energy imparted to the material by the forces impacting on the structure with a minimum energy available for rebound. It is a further object to provide an improved ratio of material usage, material cost, and energy absorption by means of the unique form and geometrical shapes of the elements in the structure and their relation to each other. While prior practitioners have used some of the form and features of the present invention their unique combination presented herein has not been previously taught.
Although the prior art addresses many of the relevant factors that bear on the construction of an improved cushioning structure, none teach the unique form found in the cushioning structure of this invention.